Brussels Cafe

NATURAL CAFE' Avenue Louise Ixelles, a good street side coffee shop cum Illy flagship store for Brussels. And a regular personal hangout. When alone I prefer the window barstools as I can choose to avoid people altogether and focus on my reading over a steaming Cappuccino. 

Midnight Cafe

 

Over Coffee

I love spending long hours in cafes reading or scribbling notes or just people watching. As I always carry the camera I often cannot resist taking a picture. This one is of a mother and daughter spending quality time in an Illy Cafe in Brussels. There is one positive side of the Coffee house culture we developed in Europe. Opposed to the latte in paper cup mania this one needs to be shared. Whether alone or not little matters as ultimately one can share it by just watching people but in all earnest it is the dialogue over a steaming cup that we cherish. It makes me want to revisit Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch. 

BBC and photography

This is another photograph that shows the incredible power of image. I always find the drama, history and tension hidden in such pictures the essence of journalism. The quality of BBC stems from promoting top standards in everything they do. This includes their web-site and the excellent offer of images to match coverage. I could not resist posting this image as it resonates with anybody living in former communist countries. It has a bit of the old fashioned style of propaganda images used in the twenties and thirties. The twist of using St Basil Church as a background instead of the Kremlin and a red star is just perfect for today's Russia. There is melancholy and politics, freezing cold wind and a bit of nostalgia in the picture. Winter in Moscow, and what a winter it is ... 

Photo lesson

I was asked by a friend to provide camera and some tips for taking sea side pictures in the winter. My back-up D70 body with a cheep zoom lens, a photography manual, and lots of free advice have given these results. 

Photography lesson

Another one of Katya's photos taken on the French Coast in Normandy 

Katya's photo lesson

French coast in winter 

Duessldorf Hafen

Three Centuries of Architecture in dawn or dusk light.

In this case a former harbour shipping Co.'s art deco style HQ. The observation tower is a marvel. The huge glass panel windows remind me of the Lingoto Fiat Factory in Turin.

The New Hafen in D

The Hafen area in Düsseldorf. A twenty year development project that brought back to life an urban area totally fallen into disgrace, neglect and ruin. These days is a bustling media hub also popular with tourists as several international hotels are located here as well as many great restaurants - well at least as far as German culinary requirements go. Its main area is dominated by refurbished old art deco buildings mixed with brand new architecture. While highly eclectic the result is powerful and solid as one would indeed expect a port area to be. In the middle of this dock the squat building is the Ogilvy and Mather HQ for D. 

Duesseldorf Architecture

The Hafen area. A twenty year development project that brought back to life an urban area totally fallen into disgrace, neglect and ruin.